breakfast brunch recipes restaurant recipes tokyo

I Am... How to Make Extra Tall Extra Fluffy Japanese Soufflé Pancakes like Gram Cafe and Pancakes

Mike and I watch this youtube channel where this dude v-logs his days with his corgi. It’s infinitely cute because I love corgis and even more cute because sometimes he makes his corgi dog-friendly food. This post has nothing to do with dog friendly food. But, the youtube dude did inspire me to try my hand at Gram-style Fluffy Japanese pancakes.

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I Am... This is the Best Dinner Party Food Ever: an Easy Authentic Takoyaki Recipe to Make with Friends and Family

Takoyaki is THE PERFECT SNACK. I don’t know how many times Mike and I have stumbled home from a night out in Tokyo only to see the warm welcoming yellow lights and bright red awning of Gindado, Japan’s premier street side takoyaki stand. They’re the only ones open at 3 in the morning (okay, there are other places open, but for the purpose of this story, just pretend) and they are the ultimate drunk food. Crispy pan fried balls of savory seasoned batter filled with tender chunks of octopus, crispy tempura bits, and topped off with takoyaki sauce and seaweed. This is street food at its best: a la minute, fast, friendly, so bad for you, but oh-so-good.

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I Am... Grilled Yakimochi Recipe: Mochi is the Secret Ingredient Your BBQ Needs to be Next Level

Have you ever seen mochi and asked yourself, “why is mochi so popular?” What even is mochi? I’m hear to answer ALL your mochi questions.

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I Am... Zhaliang: Easy Homemade Rice Noodle Rolls Wrapped Around Chinese Doughnuts

Do you love carbs? Do you love carbs wrapped in carbs? Then you’ll love zhaliang: a crispy doughy Chinese donut tucked inside a slippery, chewy rice noodle, doused with sweet soy and served with hoisin and creamy sesame sauce. They serve it up at dim sum and it’s consistently a must order for me and Mike.

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I Am... What to Make this Father’s Day Weekend Plus Friday Finds 6.14.19

Can you believe it’s the middle of June already!? Hope everyone is eating all the fruit and barbecuing all of the things. This weekend’s Father’s day but we’re not doing any grilling – instead we’re going for dim sum with my family and pizza with Mike’s. My dad loves Chinese food and Mike’s dad loves freshly baked bread so they both made sense. Other than that, no big plans, just going to enjoy the summery weather. But, if you’re are planning on grilling for dad – and you should! – here are a couple of recipes that’ll be sure to show him some love.

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I Am... How to Make the Best Darn Ever Chinese BBQ Pork aka Char Siu

The other day Mike went out with a buddy of his and they had a conversation about the last five things they would want to eat before dying. When he came home and told me about it, I was like, “a morbid conversation about food obsessions?! I’m in.” I tried to guess Mike’s top 5 and only came up with 3 (burgers, sushi, and fried rice) so I guess I fail as a wife. Then again, I couldn’t even come up with my top 5 so maybe I just fail at being decisive?

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I Am... How to Make Authentic Chinese Spicy Hot Chili Oil

Fun fact: I used to hate spicy food. When I was tiny, I would straight up refuse to eat anything that looked remotely spicy. Anyway, because spicy was on my would-not-eat list, I was never interested in those little glass jars of chili oil you see sitting at table at Chinese restaurants. You know the ones, with the tiny spoon and the metal lid? They looked so dangerously spicy to me: deep red with mysterious bits of dark things at the bottom of the jar. Nope, it was a solid pass for me.

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I Am... How to Make Japanese Soufflé Creme Brûlée Pancakes

It’s no secret that I LOVE Japanese soufflé pancakes. I dream about them. I doodle them. I make them. I eat them. I look at pictures of them. I like to think that I’m one the founding members of the I heart Japanese Fluffy Pancakes Club. That’s a non-existent club, by the way. But it shouldn’t be – should I start one? Anyway, I constantly look at fluffy pancakes. I follow the hashtag on Instagram. I’m always on the look out for new flavors, new cafes, and new ideas.

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I Am... 12 Things to Make and Take on a Japanese-Inspired Picnic!

It’s not officially summer yet but I’m all about the summer picnics this year! I just want to make and pack up all the cutest foods, pop it into a basket and head on out to the park or the beach. For some reason, themed picnics really appeal to me. Imagine an all chip picnic? Or maybe an only dips and dippers picnic? Seriously sounds like the best. We haven’t gone on any elaborate picnics yet – more like a bag of chips from the store or takeaway – but when we do the first one is going to be Japanese themed for sure. I can’t wait to make a cute lil picnic bento!

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30 minutes or less dinner & chill easy Vegetarian Recipes

I Am... A Really Easy Healthy Orange Cauliflower Recipe

Pretty much everyone knows and loves orange chicken, Panda Express's greatest dish. This is a slightly more authentic, much much healthier vegan version that you can feel good about eating every night if you want. It's not deep fried, oily, or difficult, and it's utterly, utterly delicious. A tangy, bright, and slightly sweet sauce comes together with lightly crispy cauliflower and forms something that tastes not even close to just vegetables. If you're not used to eating veggies as a main, this could be a dangerous gateway to a whole new world of veggies for dinner. If you are, well you're in for a treat. Cooking Notes You may need to adjust the sugar content to suit you because it's not possible to predict the sweetness of the orange you end up with. Taste the sauce before you toss in the cauliflower and go for a little sweeter and richer if you'd like; unlike meat, the neutrality of the cauliflower can absolutely absorb the extra flavor. Cauliflowers should be cut fairly small; the smaller, the crispier, the more satisfying, within reason. We're looking for about inch wide pieces. What do you need? A non stick skillet and a baking sheet. Cooking spray is highly recommended. How do you serve it? Serve with rice, fried noodles, and maybe a healthy side salad.

The Dinner & Chill Oven Baked Orange Cauliflower Recipe Serves 1-2
  • 1 large cauliflower, cut into small florets
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1/4 cup orange juice (about half an orange)
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
1. Preheat your oven to 450ºF and cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Add a little oil to the foil and rub it around with a paper towel to coat. Break up your cauliflower into small florets, then coat with oil (preferably with cooking spray; toss in a large bowl if not) and season well with salt and pepper. 2. Transfer your cauliflower to a ziplock/plastic bag along with 2 tablespoons of corn starch and shake well. Arrange the cauliflower onto your foil lined baking sheet. 3. Bake your cauliflower for 30 minutes at 450ºF. 4. While the cauliflower is baking, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon of water in a cup and stir into a smooth slurry. 5. Make your sauce by combining orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar. Add the corn starch slurry to it and bring to a boil, then take off the heat and stir until a smooth and glossy sauce forms. Set aside and relax with a glass of wine until the cauliflower is done. 6. When your cauliflower is crispy and brown, toss it in the sauce until everything is evenly coated. Top with sesame seeds and chopped green onions with a side of rice, and enjoy!
Welcome to Dinner & Chill, a new series focusing on quick & easy weeknight dinners with easy to find ingredients, no special equipment, low prep, and low effort. Less shopping, less chopping, less mopping, more eating.

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I Am... Green Chile Enchilada

Green chile chicken enchiladas forever because who doesn’t love salsa verde, chicken, tortillas and cheese all baked up into a delicious mess. The best part is, if you don’t have the time to make the green chile sauce, it’s okay to buy it. Ditto on using leftover rotisserie chicken – this is meant to be easy! This easy chicken enchilada recipe is effortlessly customizable, so get creative and make it your own. Here are some suggestions:

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I Am... Small Batch Sundays: The Best One Bowl Blueberry Bread Recipe

Now that local blueberries are starting to pop up everywhere, I’ve got blueberries on the brain. I love blueberry muffins, but since I’m still obsessed with loaves, I decided to take my favorite blueberry muffin recipe and loaf it up, small batch style. It came out wonderfully – cake-y and moist with pockets of blueberry jammy goodness and a crispy sugary top. I baked it up on a Tuesday, just in time to slice it up and wrap it into individual pieces to bring on our first summer camping trip!

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